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Super Bowl 2014 ad trends bring surprises

This is the Super Bowl where there may be less of the same and more of the unexpected. Yes, there will be lots of celebrities, but many tied-in to nostalgia, such as Laurence Fishburne, The Matrix star,

This is the Super Bowl where ads may offer a bit less of the same — and a bit more of the unexpected.

As the price of ad time continues to escalate, advertisers continue to seek new ways — and new reasons — to stand out or even surprise. At a record $4 million per 30-second slot, "it's the most expensive ad time on television by a wide margin," says Jon Swallen, chief research officer at Kantar Media.

The Super Bowl, he notes, "marches to a very different beat than the rest of the TV business." And so, too, must the advertisers who want to stand out during the Feb. 2 broadcast on Fox, which is sold out of ad time.

Here are some thing they are doing differently for 2014:

• More first-time celebrities. As usual, there will be lots of celebrities in Super Bowl ads, but more will be first-timers. Laurence Fishburne, the straight-faced star of the 1999 hit sci-fi film The Matrix, will show up with a humorous twist on the cult classic in a Kia ad showcasing its new K900 luxury sedan. In the 60-second spot, Fishburne reprises his film character, Morpheus, and offers a shocked couple — waiting for their car at a fancy restaurant — a choice that mimics the "red pill" or "blue pill" choice he offered Matrix co-star Keanu Reeves in the film. In a phone interview, Fishburne says this commercial puts Morpheus "in a completely unexpected context." Super Bowl viewers who have "preconceived notions of who I am" may change their minds after watching this, he says.

Wonderful Pistachios, meanwhile, has dropped YouTube phenom Psy, and will feature funny man Stephen Colbert in two 15-second Super Bowl commercials. Why the change? "We wanted to deepen the enthusiasm beyond the Super Bowl with talent that resonates with our target (buyers) over the full year," says Marc Seguin, marketing head at brand owner Paramount Farms.

• Several healthy food advertisers. As Americans continue to eat a bit healthier, there will be a tad less junk food and a few more better-for-you food ads in the Big Game. Besides the return of Wonderful Pistachios, yogurt brands Dannon and Chobani, will go toe-to-toe with spots.

• Some new car advertisers. Yes, there will be lots of car ads again, but they'll include some not in the last game. Jaguar will appear in its first-ever Super Bowl to tout its new F-Type sports coupe, while General Motors is returning.

• Several other first-time advertisers. Nestle is using the Super Bowl to promote the national roll-out of its new Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cup. Intuit will devote its first Super Bowl appearance will feature its small business contest winner whose big prize is a Big Game ad.

• Lots of surprises. Who can predict what Chrysler has up its sleeve this year, even though the automaker (again) hasn't even officially said it's in the game? And there's plenty of anticipation over just what Cheerios -- which went out on a limb with a much-discussed interracial family TV ad last spring — will do with its first-ever Super Bowl ad.